Variable-speed and free-engine gearing.



W. R. BLAXLEY & W. G. PINSON. VARIABLE SPEED AND EBEE ENGINE GEAEING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.28,1912.

1,070,00. Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY W. R. BLAXLEY & W. C. PINSON. VARIABLE SPEED AND EREE ENGINEGEARING.

APPLICATION .FILED SEPT. 28, 1912.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WC-PINSON WRBLAXLEY NOY L INVENTORE DAQ/MM A TTo R N EY WITNESS E5 a@@wf W. R. BLAXLEY & W. G. NNSON. VARIABLE SPEED AND FREE ENGINE GBARING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1912.

' Patented Aug. 12, 193.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

TTQRNEY cDLUMlA PLANOGRAPH C0., WAsHxN c.

W. R. BLAXLBY @L W. G. PINSON.

VARIABLE SPEED AND EEEE ENGINE GEAEING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1912.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

QCC l ll l ATTORNEY @FFF @TES WILLIAM RICHARD BLAXLEY AND WILLIAMCHARLES PINSON, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

VARIABLE-SPEED AND FREE-ENGINE GEARING.

insonni.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Application filed September 28, 1912. Serial No. 722,951.

T 0 all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Riemann BLAxLnY and lWILLIAM CHARLESPINsoN, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at ThorntonLane, Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented anew and useful Variable-Speed and Free- Engine Gearing; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

Our invention comprises improvements in variable speed gearing for motorcycles and motor vehicles, and refers to that class of such in which anepicyclic train of gears is located in the wheel hub and in which theplanet pinions are carried by the driven member, two speeds beingobtained by locking the sun wheel and the planet pinions together sothat these wheels rotate solidly with the internal gear, or by securingthe sun wheel rigidly against rotation, so that as the planet pinionsare rotated about same their individual rotation will give a decreasedmovement and decreased speed to the planet pinion carrier member whichis connected to the driven road wheel; the object of our said inventionbeing to provide an improved and simpler two speed gear of the specifiedtype, which may be entirely disconnected from the road wheel to allowthe engine of the machine to be started and driven independently of theroad wheel.

Referring to the drawings z-Figure 1 is an elevation of the hubcomplete. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through same showing the sunwheel arranged to rotate with the driven member z'. e. in the high speedposition. Fig. 3 is a section at A-B in Fig. 2. Fig. a shows thecylindrical clutch in perspective. Fig. 5 is a face view of the movablecone employed to expand the cylindrical clutch, together with thesurrounding` toothed disk. Fig. 6 shows same in side elevation. Fig. 7is a face view and Fig. S is a side elevation of the second or fixedcone which also carries a series of teeth and the planet wheels. Fig. 9illustrates the cam clutch employed for moving the cone to expand thecylindrical clutch. Fig. 10 shows the means whereby the clutch is lockedto the framework of the machine. Fig. 11 is a detail end view. Fig. 12is a sectional view of a modified form of our hub. Figs. 13 and 1aillustrate two of the clutch disks removed.

In carrying our invention into practice as illustrated upon theaccompanying drawings, applied to a motor cycle the hub is formed in twoparts each rotatable about the same spindle 1, the larger part 2 havingthe usual iianges 3 for carrying the spokes which connect said parts tothe road rim, and in this part of the hub is located the clutch. Thesecond part 4 of the hubv is narrower and has suitable flanges 5 wherebyit czarries the belt rim, or it may have sprocket teeth when the machineis chain driven; and within this portion of the huby is rigidly securedthe internal gear 31.

The sun wheel 6 is movable endwise along the spindle and has on each ofits faces a plurality of notches 7 0r dog teeth 8 or equivalent meanswhereby it may engage projections 9 carried by the planet pinioncarrying disk 10 when the sun wheel is in one position, or engagesimilar projections 11 on a plate 12 anchored to the framework when inthe other extreme position,` while when the pinion is in intermediateposition it may give free engine z'. c. the engine is disconnected fromthe road wheel. The plate carrying the iixed projections is preferablyanchored to the framework of the bicycle by means of the usual crank arm13 which is secured to the framework through the medium of two springs14 one on each side, one of which absorbs any sudden shock which may bethrown upon the road wheel when the gear is operated, the second springabsorbing the reaction.

At each end of the main portion of the hub are disks 10 and 15 one ofwhich 10 carries the planet pinions 16, while between these disks is acylinder 17 split longitudinally and so arranged that when expanded thecylinder will engage the interior of the hub and make a drivingconnection, while when in its normal contracted condition it isdisengaged from same. These disks 10, 15 are provided with a series ofprojections 18 and 19 respectively extending partly or entirely aroundtheir periphery which engage corresponding recesses 20 and 21 in theends of the split cylinder in such manner that the two disks and thecylinder are always caused to rotate together, though permitted alimited endwise movement between them when the cylinder is beingexpanded. The cylinder is preferably made in two parts a gun metalcovering and a steel liner 2Q.

Each end of the cylinder is internally coned as 23, one end engaging acorresponding eoned port-ion 24 of the planet pinion carrying disk 10,while the otherend is engaged by an angularly moving cone 25 so arrangedthat when this cone is moved the cylinder is forced between the twocones and expanded into engagement with the interior of the wheel hub.rlhe endwise movement of the cone may be effected by any suitable means,a convenient method being to rotatably mount the cone around a carryingcenter 26 which is so keyed as at 27 to the spindle that it cannotrotate, but is movable laterally. The outer end of this carrying centeris pro-- vided with inclines or cam surfaces 28 which are engaged bycorresponding surfaces on an actuating member 29 which is held againstangular movement but adapted to be rotated by a. suitable crank arm 30controlled by the operating mechanism whereby the gearing may beconnected to or disengaged from the road wheel.

The angular movement of the sun wheel G is effected by any suitable orusual mechanism not shown passing through the hollow spindle, andobviously when this wheel is in engagement with the planet pinioncarrying disk 10 the internal gear 31, planet pinions 16, and sun wheel6 will rotate solidly together, the planet pinion carrying disk beingthus driven at the same rate as the internal gear which is connected tothat portion of the hub which carries the belt rim; this being thenormal driving relations.

When the sun wheel is moved endwise into engagement with the fixedprojections 11 it obviously cannot rotate, and as the planet pinions arethen free to rotate about it when driven orbitally by the internal gear,the speed at which the planet pinion carrying disk is driven will thusbe decreased to an extent depending upon the relative sizes of thegears. When the sun wheel is at an intermediate position it will beobvious that the engine will run without driving the road wheel.

The second disk 15 which is connected to the expanding cylinder carriesa free wheel 32 operated by the usual pedals or by a starting handle, orthe disk itself may be fitted with a starting handle. If the cylinder iscontracted out of engagement with the wheel hub it will be obvious thatwhen this disk is rotated the planet pinion carrying disk is rotatedwith it, thus driving the internal gear and pulley to rotate the enginewhich may be effected quite independently of the road wheel and when theroad wheel is upon the ground, while after starting the engine it isonly necessary to expand the clutch to cause the road Wheel to bedriven.

lin the modified form of the' invention sho-wn by Figs. 12414 a modifiedform of clutch is employed. The planet pinions 16 are carried by acylindrical member 40 having similar projections 9 on its end which areengaged by the teeth 8 on the sun wheel 6. To this cylinder 40 are keyeda plurality, four, tapered or conical disks or members 41 preferablymade of gun metal; while disposed between or alternately with the disks41 are other similarly formed disks 42 which are keyed to the interiorof the hub 2; all these disks being tapered both internally andexternally to mutually engage. Springs 43 act to press these tapered 0rconical disks into frictional engagement the conical formationpresenting a considerable frictional surface and providing a verypowerful grip; the locking of the two series of disks together obviouslyfirmly locking the epicyclic gear to the hub and thus driving same. Torelease the clutch the springs are forced back by the plunger 44 andball bearing disk 45 when the two series are free to relatively rotate,the plunger being moved endwise by any suitable means. The various disksare held in place by screwing the end member 46 onto the extremity ofthe cylinder 40.

Vhat we claim then is 1. In variable speed and free engine mechanism formotor cycles and motor vehi- O5 cles, the combination of a. hub ringdriven from the engine; an internal gear carried by said hub ring; amain hub aspindle supporting the main hub and hub ring; a sun7 wheelcarried by said spindle and movable along the same; a clutch forengaging the said main hub; a plurality of planet pinions carried bysaid clutch and engaging the internal gear and the sun wheel and therebytransmitting motion from the hub ring and internal gear to the clutchand main hub; means for shifting the sun wheel endwise and locking thesame against rotation to cause the main hub to be driven at a reducedspeed; and means for locking the sun wheel in engagement with the clutchand causing the main hub to be driven at the same speed as the hub ring.

2. In variable speed and free engine mechanism for motor cycles andmotor vehicles, the combination of a hub ring driven from the engine; aninternal gear carried by said hub ring; a main hub; a spindle supportingthe main hub and the hub ring; a sun wheel carried by said spindle andmovable along the same; a plurality of clutch members locked to theinterior of the main hub; a plurality of planet pinions engaging saidinternal gear and said sun wheel; means for carrying said planetpinions; a plurality of clutch members locked to said planet pinioncarrying means and disposed alternately with and between the clutchmembers connected to the hub;

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means for pressing said clutch members t0- gether and thereby causingthe main hub and the planet pinions to travel around together; means forshifting the sun wheel endwise and locking same against rotation tocause the main hub to be driven at a reduced speed; and means forlocking the sun wheel in engagement with the planet carrier and causingthe main hub to be driven at the same speed as the hub ring.

3. In variable speed and free engine mechanism for motor cycles andmotor vehicles, the combination of a hub ring driven from the engine; aninternal geary carried by said hub ring; a main hub; a spindlesupporting the main hub and the hub ring; a sun wheel carried by saidspindle and movable along the same; a plurality of clutch memberstapered both internally and externally and keyed to the interior of themain hub; a plurality of planet pinions engaging said internal gear andsaid sun wheel; means for carrying said planet pinions; a second seriesof clutch members similarly tapered both internally and eX- ternally andkeyed to said planet pinion carrying means, and disposed alternatelywith and between the clutch members keyed to the hub; means for pressingsaid clutch members together and thereby causing the main hub and theplanet pinions to travel around together; means for shifting the sunwheel endwise and locking the same against rot-ation to cause the mainhub to be driven at a reduced speed; and means for locking the sun wheelin engagement with the planet carrier and causing the main hub to bedriven at the same speed as the hub rino'.

4. In variable Speed and free engine mechanism for motor cycles andmotor vehicles, the combination of a hub ring driven from the engine; aninternal geary carried by said hub ring; a main hub; a spindlesupporting the main hub and hub ring; a sun wheel carried by saidspindle and movable along the same; a plurality of clutch memberstapered both internally and externally and keyed to the interior of themain hub; a plurality of planet pinions engaging said internal gear andsaid sun wheel; means for carrying said planet pinions; a second seriesof clutch members similarly tapered both internally and eX- ternally andkeyed to said planet pinion carrying means, and disposed alternatelywith and between the clutch members keyed to the hub; spring actuatedmeans for pressino` said clutch members together and thereby causing themain hub and the planet pinions to rotate together; means for shiftingthe sun 7 wheel endwise and locking .the same against rotation to causethe main hub to be driven at a reduced speed; and means for locking thesun wheel 1n engagement with the planet carrier and causling the mainhub to be driven at the same speed as the hub ring.

5. In variable speed and free engine mechanism for motor cycles andmotor vehicles, the combination of a hub ring driven ,from the engine; amain hub; an epicyclic train of gears contained in said hub and arrangedto drive the hub at different speeds; a plurality of clutch memberstapered both internally and externally and keyed to the interior of themain hub; a second .series ot clutch members similarly tapered bothinternally and externally and connected to part of said epicyclic trainof gears, rotated thereby, and disposed alternately with and between theclutch members keyed to the hub; and means for pressing said clutchmembers together and thereby causing the main hub and epicyclic train ofgears to rotate together.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM RICHARD BLAXLEY. WILLIAM CHARLES PINSON. Witnesses:

CHARLES S'roNnsTnR, NORMAN S. BARLOW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

